A clear and colourful picture is painted of the apparent gap
between the working class and landowner class in the early 1900's during the
lull before WW1. Everyday life seems quaintly important to folk in a small
English village. However, Alex soon takes us into the weird world of war. We
experience very easily each character's feelings of those dreadful horrors,
especially the deep fear, filth and exhaustion of life in and around the
battlefields. Through our own emotions, we inevitably discover the irony of war
- how people can come together to help each other across the classes.I love
the way Alex stirs up some choppy waves then carries us on the journey so we
feel for ourselves the contrast between normal peacetime life and the stupidity
of war. It finally makes us ponder on why most of us haven't yet grasped the
notion that people aren't that different from each other. There's some beautiful
writing in this thoughtful and thought-provoking book.